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Camden Campus Offers New "Feet First" MRI Scanner

July 30, 2013

The Southeast Georgia Health System Camden Campus recently received a General
Electric (GE) 450W magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)scanner. The new system,
located within the Radiology department, brings to the CamdenCountythe
most advanced imaging system in Southeast Georgia.

“The 1.5 Tesla magnet is much stronger than our current unit, and
greatly enhances our diagnostic capabilities,” says Laura S. Taylor,
M.D., the Camden Campus new full-time radiologist. “It will allow
us to perform even more procedures on the Camden Campus than we were previously
able to.”

The new scanner features a 70cm opening. Traditional “closed”
MRIunits have a more restrictive 55cm opening, which is not well tolerated
by some patients.

“The larger opening not only allows scans of larger patients, but
is less confining to patients who do not like smaller spaces,” says
Timothy P. Bryant, CRA, MBA, RT(R)(N), manager, Radiology & Cardiopulmonary
Services. “The scanner also comes equipped with GE’s exclusive
“GEMS” technology, which allows for faster scanning, and it
has the unique capability of allowing for “feet first” imaging
for all procedures. No other system in the region is able to do that for
all scans.”

With the addition of more specialty physicians in CamdenCounty, such as
orthopaedics, oncology, pain management, and neurology, the need for enhanced
MRIcapabilities has greatly increased. In the past, patients often had
to travel out of the area for specialty scanning.

“There’s no need for patients to travel anywhere other than
the Health System to receive superior imaging,” Bryant explained.
“The new system is able to accommodate virtually any type of MRIscan
and provides superior detailed images. In addition, the new system can
perform many scans in less than half the time of the systems currently
in the area. This is especially helpful for patients who have had challenges
with MRIprocedures in the past.”